Cleveland was 39-0 during the regular season when leading after three quarters and kept that perfect mark intact with a Game 2 win.

The incredible second-half charge came exactly one year after Indiana blew a 26-point halftime lead in a historic playoff collapse against the Cavs.

This time, the Pacers delivered a devastating blow to the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs – on a night LeBron Jones joined Michael Jordan as the only players in playoff history to record 100 double-doubles. James finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Bradley Beal heeded his coach’s plea to ”do his job” by scoring 21 of his 28 points in the first half, his All-Star backcourt running mate John Wall delivered 28 points and 14 assists, and Washington beat Toronto 112-103 to cut its Eastern Conference first-round playoff series deficit to 2-1.

After letting the Raptors grab the first 2-0 series lead in franchise history, the Wizards came home and checked off every box coach Scott Brooks presented. They got Beal more involved after he made only three shots in Game 2; they actually led after the first quarter, 30-29; they played with enough defensive focus to get produce 19 turnovers by Toronto, leading to 28 points for Washington.

Add it all up, and it was a rare recent victory for Washington, which had lost seven of eight games dating to the regular season.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Khris Middleton scored 23 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 19 and Milwaukee used a dominating first half to overwhelm Boston 116-92, narrowing its deficit in the series to 2-1.

Backup center Thon Maker scored 14 points and blocked five shots. Pesky guard Matthew Dellavedova, a veteran of a championship run with the Cleveland Cavaliers, helped hold young Celtics point guard Terry Rozier to nine points on 2-of-7 shooting.

NHL

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sean Couturier’s long shot from the point got past Matt Murray with 1:17 left and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 to force a sixth game in the first-round series.

The Flyers cut the Penguins’ series lead to 3-2 going into Game 6 on Sunday in Philadelphia.

After missing Game 4 with a lower-body injury, Couturier extended his team’s season at least two more days by picking up his second goal of the series. Claude Giroux, Valtteri Filppula and Matt Read also scored for the Flyers. Michal Neuvirth stopped 30 shots, including a diving stop on the doorstep to deny Penguins star Sidney Crosby shortly after Couturier’s knuckler put Philadelphia in front.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) – Jacob Trouba, Bryan Little, Brandon Tanev and Joel Armia scored in the first 11:59 to chase Minnesota goalie Devan Dubynk and Winnipeg beat Wild 5-0 to win a playoff series for the first time in franchise history.

Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for his second shutout of the series, and Mark Scheifele added a goal in the third to help the Jets finish off the Wild in five games. Winnipeg will face the winner of the Nashville-Colorado series in the second round.

Winnipeg’s previous post-season appearance was a sweep by Anaheim in 2015. The franchise moved from Atlanta in 2011. The Thrashers started in 1999-2000, with their only playoff series ending in four straight losses to the New York Rangers in 2007.

This is the third time the Avalanche had trailed 3-1 in a series since the franchise relocated to Colorado. They lost the first two, but will have a chance Sunday to push this series to a seventh game after rallying with two goals in the final 4:11.

Gabriel Landeskog started the rally with his goal into an empty net with Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne caught outside the crease with his own teammate Ryan Ellis in his lap. Then Andrighetto gave the Avs the lead off a rebound of a shot by J.T. Compher.

Andrew Hammond made a career-high 44 saves for his first postseason victory in his first playoff start since April 17, 2015, with Ottawa and just the third of his career.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Bill Peters was not able to lead the Carolina Hurricanes back to the NHL playoffs and after coming up short following his fourth season with the club, he announced he is resigning.

Peters went 137-138-53 in his lone head coaching job in the NHL. He had one season left on the contract extension he signed in 2016.

New team owner Tom Dundon said he has ”a lot of respect for Bill as a person and coach.”

The move leaves the Hurricanes looking for a new general manager and head coach. Hall of Fame player Ron Francis was reassigned to another front-office position during the season.

BASEBALL

PHOENIX (AP) – Tyson Ross lost his bid to pitch the first no-hitter in the history of the San Diego Padres when rookie center fielder Franchy Cordero appeared to misplay a ball with two outs in the eighth inning of a 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Playing their 7,835th game since joining the majors in 1969, the Padres again came agonizingly close to their first no-no. They remain the only team in the big leagues that has never thrown a no-hitter.

Ross had a 1-0 lead with two outs in the eighth when

OAKLAND, Calif. — Two pitchers who figure to have big rooting audiences are scheduled to go head-to-head Wednesday night when the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics continue their three-game series.

The Astros got the jump on the A’s in the series opener Tuesday, winning 6-3 on the strength of Evan Gattis‘ career-best five RBIs and Lance McCullers Jr.’s strong seven-inning outing.

Cole, a native of Newport Beach, Calif., near Los Angeles, has pitched brilliantly in his home state in his major league career. The UCLA product, who spent his first five seasons pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates before getting dealt to the Astros over the winter, has gone 9-2 when pitching in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland.

He’s 14-6 overall against the five California teams.

The 27-year-old joined the San Francisco Bay Area family on Nov. 12 [url=http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/josh-allen-jersey]Cheap Josh Allen Jersey[/url] , 2016, when he married Amy Crawford, the sister of Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. Both Amy and Brandon attended Amador Valley High in Pleasanton, Calif., an Oakland suburb.

Cole didn’t disappoint his new fans when he pitched six strong innings, allowing one run and four hits, in a 4-1 win at Oakland on May 9. It improved his career record to 1-1 with a 2.75 ERA in three starts against the A’s.

Cole once again will have to deal with A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty, who attended Amador Valley at the same time as the Crawfords. Piscotty has gone 6-for-21 with two doubles in his career against Cole.

Blackburn, acquired from the Seattle Mariners last season, has made six starts for the A’s in Oakland, including one this season.

He pitched brilliantly in that lone 2018 Oakland start Thursday after being promoted from Triple-A, limiting the Kansas City Royals to one run and three hits in six innings in a 4-1 victory.

Blackburn has never lost a home start for the A’s, going 2-0 in his six outings.

He has never faced the Astros.

The 24-year-old admitted the season debut coupled with his family and friends in attendance nearly got the better of him in his last start.

“I’m not usually like that,” he insisted. “I have nerves coming into every start, but not like this was. I think it was excitement.”

Blackburn will have to deal with another A’s opponent who still commands a favorable reception in Oakland when he goes against Astros outfielder Josh Reddick.

Reddick, one of the A’s clubhouse leaders during his five seasons in Oakland, was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2016 in a deal that brought impressive young right-hander Frankie Montas to the A’s.

Reddick had two hits and scored twice Tuesday and is 4-for-11 versus the A’s in Oakland this season.